Federation of Indian Associations, Indian Consulate NY, hold Int’l Yoga Day

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The Federation of Indian Associations NY-NJ-CT, in partnership with the Consulate General of India-New York, held a group yoga event on Sunday, June 20, to mark the 7^th International Day of Yoga. FIA has been hosting the Yoga Day event since 2015.

The hour-long event was held at Liberty State Park Sunday morning, with some 200 participants who joined the hybrid event, with over 120 joining online.

The Liberty State Park, with the backdrop of the majestic Statue of Liberty and the Manhattan skyline, provided the perfect venue for the event, organizers said in a press release.

Consul General of India New York Randhir Jaiswal, who briefly attended the event with Deputy Consul General Shatrughan Sinha, encouraged the participants.

Celebrity yoga instructor, Reiki healer, and health coach Thara Natalie gave yoga lessons for all ages. She also shared health tips during the one-hour session.

Singer and song writer Jay Sean was the guest of honor and former Miss America and American public speaker and actress Nina Davuluri, also a yoga practitioner, compered the event.

“It is heartening to see people giving due importance to yoga. It is an ancient Indian discipline that purifies the mind and body with regular practice,” FIA President Anil Bansal is quoted saying at the event, adding, “Just like this morning, I hope everyone here continues to find time to invest in their health and well-being.”

Bansal also lauded the efforts of event chair Parveen Bansal and his team in putting together the event,

“Last year was tough for everyone. Now, the community is slowly reeling out of the pandemic,” said FIA chairman Ankur Vaidya. “The benefits of yoga are known to the entire world. We hope this event can give a positive push to our attempts to get back to the pre-pandemic days,” Vaidya added.

He expressed his gratitude to CGI NY Jaiswal and DCG Sinha for their continued support in making the Yoga Day celebration a success.

At the event, FIA provided complimentary coffee, munchkins, water, T-shirt, and yoga mat to all participants in attendance and held an attendee raffle in which 5 Google home devices were raffled as thank-you giveaways to the attendees.

The United Nations had, in December 2014, proclaimed June 21 every year as the International Day of Yoga. The FIA has been organizing yoga events to mark the day since 2015 when it was celebrated globally for the first time.

Last year, with the Covid-19 pandemic raging across the world, the entire event was held online.